1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the management of connected tape libraries and, more particularly, to systems and methods that facilitate the transmission of requests (e.g., status requests, cartridge movement operations, and the like) from a library manager to the one or more tape libraries that are the subjects or targets of the requests.
2. Relevant Background
Businesses and other organizations rely on data processing systems to manage a wide range of internal and external functions, including accounting and inventory functions, data management functions, and many others. Many of these systems must be available to be accessed over local or wide-area data processing system networks, including both private networks and public networks such as the Internet.
Storage libraries are data processing systems often used by enterprises and the like to efficiently store and retrieve data from storage media. In the case of some storage libraries (e.g., tape libraries), the media are data cartridges (e.g., tape cartridges) that are typically stored and indexed within a set of storage arrays. When particular data is requested, a specialized robotic mechanism of the library finds the appropriate cartridge, removes the cartridge from its magazine, and carries the cartridge to a tape drive that is designed to receive the cartridge and read its contents. Some storage libraries have multiple drives that can operate concurrently to perform input/output (IO) operations on multiple cartridges.
One method of creating large tape libraries is to generate long library strings, or linear libraries, where the tape libraries (e.g., library frames) are added side by side. Each library has one or more accessors (e.g., robotic arm or the like) that can move cartridges from storage shelves to tape drives. The libraries in a string can exchange cartridges via pass-thru ports (PTPs), and this allows a tape cartridge to be moved among all of the libraries in a string. In response to a request to move a tape cartridge from a cell of one library to a tape drive of another library, for instance, the tape cartridge may be appropriately removed from its cell, passed through one or more PTPs until it reaches the destination library, and then eventually sent to a drive of the destination library (e.g., some of which may include the use of robotic arms elevators, and the like).
The string of libraries are typically communicatively interconnected to each other by any appropriate network or interconnect (e.g., an inter library communication (ILC) kit or the like) and to a library manager by a plurality of “connections” (e.g., control path(s)) between the library manager and each of the libraries). The library manager is typically implemented on a server that is accessible by any appropriate backup application or the like of a host or client device via a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN, e.g., via TCP/IP), and/or the like. For instance, Oracle's StorageTek Automated Cartridge System Library Software (ACSLS) Manager shares resources with any ACSLS-enabled application and allows one to manage multiple libraries (e.g., in relation to tape cartridge storage, tape cartridge retrieval, statuses and the like) from a single console (e.g., a web-based user interface). As another example, Oracle's StorageTek Host Software Component (HSC) provides centralized management of tape libraries in an IBM z/OS or Virtual Machine (VM) environment.